Pretty Pictures

Wildflower along Coldwater Creek, Mammoth Lakes, CA. August 2013

A former co-worker of mine at the Museum – the Curator, actually – had a sign hanging in her office that read in big, block letters, “Pretty pictures don’t change anything.”  Although in theory I agree with her, my silent response was always, “Yeah, but they sure make us feel better.”

After indulging my passions of travel and photography for seven weeks in Spain and Morocco, I am now back at home… with not much to do.  A job I enjoyed, although incredibly stressful at times, is gone and now the process of figuring out what to do next have begun.  I know it will be OK in the end.  I have a sneaking suspicion that this will be a turning point for me and am thinking about my options, including going back to school and, in fact, learning one of those “in-demand” careers that I can take to Spain with me in a few years.  As I look at all the different curriculums, I have to laugh at the courses I’d have to take. “Pre-Calculus? At my age? Physics? You gotta be kidding me!!”

Iris in bloom at the Maui Botanical Gardens, May 2013.

But when I begin to feel overwhelmed by all the decisions I have to make, I’ve found that playing with my photos – editing them, making them beautiful - never fails to cheer me up.

Wild Iris at Point Reyes, CA. March 2014

Yes, Ann, they are not going to change anything.  They are just pretty pictures…but they sure make me feel better.

The Return of the Pancake Merienda

Rainbow in Halekala Crater, Maui, Hawaii  Photo credit: My Hubby       

OK - so I’ve neglected this blog….for about two years or so.

But a lot has changed in the past few years…and more life changes are coming….one of those being that the Pancake Merienda is coming back!

So what’s happened? Soon after I stopping writing The Pancake Merienda, I came to the realization that I needed a life… the life I wanted.   

When I was little - and well into college - I could name about three things I wanted to do with my life: travel, make art and get married to a fabulous guy and do all those things with him.  As of a few years ago, I had been married my soul mate for almost twenty years, so I could check that one off the list.  I traveled, but not as much as I wanted.  And make art?  Not even close.  I took photos – sometimes OK ones – but nowhere near what I had wanted. I felt stuck in a job that didn’t interest or challenge me in the least and worst of all, I had gained 20 (or more) pounds.  Ugh!  I was living a life that I had never envisioned.

Fast forward to today:

I have lost the 20 plus pounds and now recognize my body again.

I have been working at the Nevada Museum of Art for almost two years as the Director of Strategic Giving (a fancy title for grantwriter).  I can’t say every day is tons of fun, but I plug on because I absolutely love the art and the awesome people I work with.  And again, although it can be difficult at times, I am challenged intellectually there – something I have not found in other jobs. And I am on my way to fulfill my other life’s desire:  to make art…or at least make pretty things that make people happy…because that’s what makes me happy.

And beginning in July, I will have more time to travel.  

All of this came about because I woke up one morning and was absolutely determined to have the life I always dreamed about– not the life that we seem to be prescribed to.  You know the one – spend all day, every day in front of a computer, make as much money as possible so you can one day retire… and hopefully be well enough to do the things you’ve always wanted to do.  

The life I wanted to build – actually that we want to build – would be sustainable into retirement - without sacrificing our dreams, our health and our creative and adventurous spirits. And we are well on our way to doing it.

I just arrived in Spain and will be spending a glorious five weeks here – visiting family, traveling around southern Spain and Morocco with some of our very best friends. We also plan to scope out places to buy for our future move to Spain (yes, we are still planning on moving!)  Above all, I plan on taking my newly acquired photography skills and creative vision – thanks to a photo class Pedro and I just finished – and taking many, many photos that make me – and hopefully those around me – smile.  I someday, hope to sell/publish/and perhaps, make a little money off these images.

When I return in July, I will begin working part-time at the museum and that will allow me to further explore my image making as well as restarting the Pancake Merienda.  I will finally have the time. I’m not sure where this journey will take me, but I am excited to find out…and who knows where it will lead.  But one thing is for sure – I will be living life - for the most part - on my terms.  Finally.

See you in July!